Kieran Shields
Crown Books
March 2012
When I ran across Kieran Shield's debut mystery, The Truth of All Things, I thought it would be right up my alley. Possible witchcraft, the ritualistic murder of a prostitute, and a Sherlockian sleuth, all set in 1892 Portland, Maine. I particularly like mysteries set in places I am at least somewhat familiar with. As a long time summer visitor to Maine, I always welcome a chance to read books with Maine settings.
The Truth of All Things introduces us to a vibrant port and manufacturing city and newly appointed, verse-quoting Deputy Marshall Archie Lean. Lean is baffled by the horrifying murder scene and when he discovers that the prostitute died by a traditional way to kill witches, he enlists the aid of Perceval Grey and Helen Prescott. Grey is a brilliant half-Indian private detective and Helen an historian. The team discovers links to the Salem Witch trials, the Indian Wars and a madman intent on summoning a demon. The chase takes them into crime scenes, spiritualist societies and opium dens and the danger becomes very personal.
Billed as the Archie Lean Series #1, The Truth of All Things is a fast paced and very convoluted mystery. I found Perceval Grey a much more interesting character than Lean. Grey is caught between his ethnic heritage and his upbringing and education in the white world. He seems to cope with his inevitable conflicts by cultivating a super rational, unemotional facade- very much like Sherlock Holmes. I am looking forward to and in fact will soon begin the second in the series, A Study in Revenge.
RATING- 4 Pitchforks
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